Thoughts From My Belly

I am excited to have the opportunity to be a a judge the Iron Chef competition at The Interior Provincial Exhibition and Stampede this year! The competition runs throughout the course of the 5-day annual event in Armstrong and will pit local chefs against each other in “a battle to see who’s cuisine will reign [...]

The wonderful people at Poppadoms Restaurant are hosting a fundraiser for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. This should be a great event and I strongly encourage everyone to attend. Not only do I expect the food to be great, but its for a great cause and one that is very close to my heart. Last [...]

My wife and I went to the Westjet Wine Tastings @ The Delta Grand last night and both really enjoyed ourselves. I have to admit up front that I’m positive my taste buds weren’t functioning properly last night when it came to the white wines. Nothing was tasting outstanding, despite me trying a few “benchmarks” [...]

The Rotten Grape has been hosting a series of events that they’re calling “Wino Wednesdays” in their restaurant on Bernard (near The Sails). Basically they invite a winemaker/winery owner to the restaurant from 5pm and 8pm. Anyone who drops in during that time gets a flight of three 1.5oz glasses of wine from that winery, [...]

Upon walking in I was immediately impressed. Most Indian restaurants that I’ve ever been to (and I’ve been to a lot of them) either look tacky or like they haven’t seen a fresh coat of paint in twenty years. Poppadoms certainly doesn’t fit into either of those categories. The decor has an obvious western modernity, [...]

There are lots of great food related events coming up in Kelowna. Here is a spotlight on a few of the highlights: 7th Annual International Wine Exhibition – March 12th 7pm – 10pm @ The Capri Hotel – I’ve never been able to attend this event in the past, but have heard nothing but positive [...]

I recently had the chance to not only visit Mission Hill, but to have a private tasting guided by sommelier and Mission Hill Wine Education Ambassador Jesse Harnden. They had just finished an internal tasting in order to decide which wines to enter into the various competitions that they’ll be competing in, so I was [...]

For those that don’t know, Wine and Dine Okanagan is a great event where local restaurants put together 3 course set menus for $15, $25, or $35. I love this event, because it let’s you try three different dishes (usually, but not always, an appetizer, main, and dessert) for an affordable price. If you go with a friend and the restaurant has options on their Wine and Dine menu, then you can share and try six different dishes!

This year the event starts today (Jan 13th) and runs through the end of the month. Wine and Dine is a great reason to visit your old favourites or some new flavours during what is typically a slow season for the foodservice industry. With over 50 BCRFA member restaurants participating there is something out there for everyone.

I was lucky enough to be able to attend the media launch and sneak preview yesterday afternoon and I have to say that there is lots to be excited about. Here are a few of the highlights:

Home you all enjoyed my first annual Golden Belly Awards. Because the feedback I got from them was so positive I’ve decided to give some new awards. Each summer I will name the Golden Belly “Experience” Award winners (they will include categories like “Best Place to Sip a Glass of Wine”, “Best Place to Dine [...]

With 2009 in the books, it’s time for me to share with my readers my thoughts on the best places to eat over the last year. Without further ado here are my first annual Golden Belly Awards. If you know some restaurants you think should have won, please email me your picks or post them [...]